Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

..".peerless...Brewer's has kept ahead of the game by compiling this marvelous compendium...It has captured the flavor of the past 100 years."-"-The Times"
From American Express to American Psycho, Dadaism to Durex, the Zapata moustache to the Zinoviev letter, take an up-to-date look at the diverse and entertaining linguistic landscape of our culture. Here, deftly defined and intriguingly displayed, are thousands of words, phrases, slogans, names, events, and titles of songs, books, films, and TV programs that resonate with English-speaking people everywhere. In addition to many unusual gems, you'll find fascinating lists, focused on such varied subjects as rock group monikers, operations code names of World War II, nicknames of famous sportspeople, and some of the most celebrated advertising slogans of the past century.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Fables and commonplace phrases originate from the need to articulate concepts and circumstances that defy conventional phraseology. Evolving from both written and spoken sources (though more commonly from the latter), they bring together words, names, and expressions that have cultural resonance. These volumes provide ample documentation of such terms in the English language, citing both origin and common usage. Beyond simple definitions, the works also include quotations from classical and modern literature. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable, first issued in 1870, has flourished for over 100 years and has been updated frequently. (See LJ 7/00 for a review of the 16th edition.) The current work, ably edited by prolific lexicographer Room, who also worked on the 16th edition, borrows the style and approach of the original dictionary but focuses on material from the late 20th to the 21st centuries. Arranged alphabetically, this approachable work contains more than 8000 entries. Vastly more comprehensive, The Oxford Dictionary references some 20,000 citations. Knowles, managing editor of the Oxford quotations dictionaries, draws upon Oxford's unrivaled bank of language lore and literary tradition to span a vast array of topics, including classical mythology, religion, folk custom, history, science, and technology. The entries, whether brief citations or longer discussions boasting colorful details and lucid text, are distinguished by unparalleled research. Illustrative quotations and thousands of biographies are also included. Both of these volumes are vital reference tools required by all meaningful reference collections. Richard K. Burns, MSLS, Hatboro, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Lexicographer Room has compiled an updated version of E. Cobham Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable (1870, frequently revised and reprinted). Room revised the 16th edition of the classic title in 1999; this modern version focuses on material from the 20th and 21st centuries. More than 800 entries, arranged alphabetically with cross-references and accompanying quotations, contain insightful and informative descriptions and etymologies. The diversity of the entries is indicated by the main themes listed in the editor's introduction. The contemporary phrases contain slang usage as well as technical terms. Room includes 28 popular lists, ranging from "Advertising Slogans of the 20th Century" to "Football Club Nicknames." Both titles are essential for any reference collection. S. Dupree University of Arkansas at Monticello

Booklist Review

In this work, Room, editor of the sixteenth edition of Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable [RBB O 15 00], focuses not only on phrases and terms that have come into the English language during the past 100 years but also on other aspects of modern society. The result is an eclectic mixture of entries that includes colloquialisms, idioms, catchphrases, slang expressions, acronyms, trade names, organizations, events, fictional characters, and titles of films, plays, novels, television programs, and works of art. Approximately 8,000 entries are alphabetically arranged. Standard entries, which range in length from several lines to a column, treat such diverse topics as Falun Gong, Inspector Morse, Jaws of Life, My Fair Lady, Never a dull moment, Pooper scooper, and URL. In addition, the volume features a variety of theme entries, including Advertising slogans of the 20th century, First lines of novels, and Rock group names, which often extend to multiple pages. Accompanying many entries are illustrative quotations, most often garnered from British newspapers and periodicals. The work's British origins are evident in other ways as well. For instance, the entry for What's My Line? contains no mention of the U.S. version of the game show. Inevitably, one questions some of the editor's choices. Garfield and Starsky and Hutch are here, but where are The Far Side and Hill Street Blues? Though at first glance this work would appear to be a revision of Brewer's Dictionary of Twentieth Century Phrase and Fable (Houghton, 1992), its scope is much broader, and about three-fourths of its entries were not in the earlier dictionary. There is some duplication between this volume and the sixteenth edition of Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable; however, the overlap is not significant enough to be of concern. In spite of its British slant and its somewhat erratic selectivity, this entertaining compendium serves as a valuable record of twentieth-century words, expressions, and cultural allusions. It will be a useful addition to high-school, public, and academic libraries.